Hot Pot, Ying Bing's Dream

Inside the carriage.

This carriage looked understated from the outside, but inside, it held a whole other world. Nothing else aside, just the carriage beams alone were made of golden fragrant wood, carved with taotie patterns, sturdy, rot-proof, and carrying a strange fragrance.

A proper martial-world version of a Volkswagen Phaeton—and sitting in it, he truly could not feel even the slightest bit of jolting.

"As expected of the Sect Master's carriage."

"Senior, how much did this carriage cost?"

Li Mo was a little restrained, yet he could not help clicking his tongue in wonder.

He was like a country bumpkin who had stepped into a wealthy household, curious yet not daring to touch anything at random.

"This old man's surname is Ba. I'm merely a servant, so Young Master may just call me Old Ba."

The old coachman driving the carriage said with a chuckle:

"If calculated in gold, this carriage should be around tens of thousands of taels. It was a gift from the owner of Harmonious Prosperity Trading Company."

Li Mo: "!"

Little Li, who had thought himself somewhat wealthy, felt the sting of poverty.

Tens of thousands of taels—and in gold, no less.

Even if this thing were made entirely of gold, it would not cost that much.

As though seeing his confusion, Old Ba laughed and said:

"This carriage is made of cold iron. Even someone in the Divine Observation Realm cannot damage it."

"No wonder. I can't afford it, then."

Li Mo came to a realization and touched his deflated purse.

His dream of getting an identical carriage to travel in was shattered.

Before the tea table, Ying Bing sat upright and composed, calmly drinking tea.

Casual, natural. Anyone who did not know better would think she was the original owner of this carriage.

Li Mo even had the illusion that she was deigning to lower herself.

Wasn't Ice Block a punching bag back at the Li Mansion before...

Li Mo could not help sighing with emotion.

This was what it meant to bear imperial bones!

They returned to Autumn Water Pavilion.

Ying Bing casually picked up a dead branch and began practicing swordsmanship. She was testing, at her current realm, what level she could push her sword techniques to at most.

At the kitchen doorway, Li Mo asked:

"Is there anything you want to eat today?"

Clear Abyss Sect naturally had a canteen.

However, three meals a day could all earn rewards from Ice Block, so Little Li was more than happy to cook.

"Anything is fine. I have no desire for food and drink. You need not spend too much thought on it."

Ying Bing said without turning her head.

"That's because you haven't encountered true delicacies."

"I'm not bragging—if I cook seriously, it'll be one of a kind under the heavens."

Li Mo said, brimming with confidence.

Among the white investment returns, there were quite a few seasonings that did not exist in this world.

There was even a portion of hot pot base. He had wanted to eat it for a very long time.

Ying Bing said nothing.

Who knew whether she had heard him.

"She's way too focused."

Li Mo sighed inwardly. People were not machines.

If one neglected one's needs as a human being for a long time, one's mindset would develop problems.

"Is Senior Sister Ying Bing here?"

Just then, a shout came from outside.

Li Mo went out and found that it was actually an outer sect deacon, who had brought over bundle after bundle.

They were all kinds of exotic beast meat.

After eating them, they had the marvelous effect of nourishing qi and blood. Outside, ordinary people could not get their hands on such things.

This was also the treatment of a true disciple of the sect master.

The outer sect steward introduced them.

Both kinds were raised on Rare Beast Peak: Iron-Bone Ox, Blue-Scaled Fish, and Rock Sheep.

"Beef, mutton, and fish—they've got it all. If I used these for hot pot, tsk, tsk."

Li Mo thought about it, and his mouth almost started watering.

Half an hour later.

A rich, spicy aroma drifted through the courtyard.

Li Mo sat before the stove, swishing slices of Iron-Bone Ox meat as thin as cicada wings.

"Unbelievable."

When this world's exotic beast meat met hot pot soup base from Blue Star, the taste was simply unforgettable.

"Try it."

Li Mo finished swishing the fish and placed it into Ying Bing's bowl.

A layer of red oil clung to the girl's lips, making them look even more lush and dewy.

"Good, right?"

"Acceptable."

Ying Bing's chopsticks moved a little faster than before.

Li Mo saw it all and said with a smile, "Then eat more. Exotic beast meat is good for martial training too."

"Food and desire are human nature. It's only natural—when it's time to enjoy yourself, you should enjoy yourself."

Steam bubbled and rose with a gurgle.

The girl's face grew indistinct amid the smoke and warmth of the meal.

Her cheeks moved as she chewed; whether she had heard him or not, no one could tell.

On the third floor, inside the room.

[Congratulations, host. Investment: one serving of exotic beast hot pot.]

[Feedback reward obtained: one Profound Crystal.]

[Profound Crystal]: "Contains the purest vital energy between heaven and earth. It can be used for pill refining, weapon forging, or to power all kinds of implements. Its wondrous uses are endless."

"This hot pot was way too worth it."

A milky-white crystal appeared in Li Mo's palm. It was diamond-shaped, with specks of fluorescent light shimmering across it.

The aura coming from within was extremely familiar to him.

Wasn't that the very same vital energy that flowed into his body when he practiced?

Only, the amount of vital energy contained in this Profound Crystal was incomparably vast. If he relied on himself, who knew how long he would have to absorb energy to accumulate this much?

It was not that useful to Li Mo himself.

But this thing was very precious. A single piece was worth a sky-high price!

The Heaven-Ascending Stone Steps were activated by relying on this very object.

"I've decided. From now on, I'm eating exotic beast meat every day!"

"I have to feed Ice Block until she's nice and full."

Li Mo put away the Profound Crystal, making up his mind.

Suddenly, he remembered something else.

Senior Brother Xiao Qin had an Ancient Seven Stars Jade, didn't he?

Because that Ancient Seven Stars Jade needed vital energy to activate, Xiao Qin's cultivation level had kept falling.

Wouldn't this Profound Crystal solve his problem perfectly?

"I can't use the Profound Crystal anyway, so I can invest it in him."

Li Mo had also summed up some of the rules of investment.

A person's destiny level was the foundation of the reward.

And the more helpful the item was to the investment target, the better the reward would become on top of that destiny foundation.

Xiao Qin had a purple destiny.

The value of the feedback reward would definitely far surpass a single Profound Crystal.

"There's no need to learn Six Harmonies Fist again, though."

"With twenty years of martial insight, I should be able to master it no matter what."

With his experience from last time, Li Mo did not use up his martial insight in one go.

[Five years of martial insight successfully infused.]

[After one year of practice, you have fully familiarized yourself with Six Harmonies Fist and can use it against enemies, reaching the Initial Mastery Realm.]

[In the fourth year, through long-term focus, Six Harmonies Fist has already been integrated into your walking, sitting, and lying down; you are no longer confined to its forms.]

[In the fifth year, your Six Harmonies Fist reached Minor Achievement.]

A familiar feeling came over him.

But it was only Minor Achievement. It was not enough.

[Five years of martial insight successfully infused.]

[In the first year, you constantly practiced the fist technique and vaguely sensed a higher realm of fist arts.]

[In the third year, a flash of inspiration came to you, and you seemed to find the correct direction, then began to verify and temper it.]

[In the fourth year, your Six Harmonies Fist reached Great Achievement!]

[In the fifth year, you gained new insight again, but this insight was not quite tangible...]

The familiar feeling came over him.

After fully inheriting the insight, Li Mo clenched his fist, feeling eager to give it a try.

So, right there in the room, he set up his stance and began practicing the fist technique with wind whistling through every movement.

Every move and form carried a fierce rush of wind, no different from if he had trained it himself.

Crack—pop—

Li Mo drew strength up from the ground, gathered the power of his entire body into one place, and swung out with a thunderous force.

Intent ran through the Six Harmonies!

With this punch, the sleeve around his arm shattered, turning into scraps of cloth.

"Opening just one meridian gives this kind of power."

Li Mo let out a long breath and went to change into a fresh set of casual clothes.

Right now, he could not even fully unleash the power of Six Harmonies Fist.

Practice!

He sat cross-legged and quietly began circulating the Fire Heart Lotus-Birth Technique.

With one sword stroke, Ying Bing shook out nine sword flowers.

Flower-Seeking Sword Technique.

She had known it in her previous life, but today, she had still earnestly watched Elder Han He demonstrate it once.

After all, this was a secret inheritance of the sect. If she directly said she already knew it, there would be no clear way to explain.

At present, the most she could manage was seeking nine flowers with one sword.

At her peak, when she casually used this sword technique, it could summon a sky full of falling flowers, all transformed from Sword Qi.

If she further drove it with Taiyin Power, freezing a great lake would be as easy as turning over her hand.

Her current realm was still too low.

Ying Bing sheathed her sword and stood tall, just about to redouble her practice.

Suddenly, her dark brows furrowed slightly.

The movement next door...

"When he practices, he can stir the yuan qi of heaven and earth?"

"This should not be a method Shang Wu would possess. It seems more like a special physique..."

Ying Bing was somewhat surprised.

She knew many cultivation methods that directly borrowed the qi of heaven and earth to strengthen oneself.

But no matter which one it was, they could only be used above the External Scene Realm. Without the Inner World connecting with the outer world, a martial artist simply could not directly make demands of heaven and earth.

That could only mean one thing.

It was brought about by Li Mo's special physique.

"Source-Flow Martial Physique... Longevity Greenwood Physique... Limitless Heavenly Physique..."

Ying Bing sank into memory, recalling many geniuses she had encountered before.

Among them, some had indeed possessed enough talent and brilliance to leave an impression on her.

Which one would Li Mo's be?

Or perhaps, was it one she had never encountered?

A moment later, Ying Bing withdrew her thoughts.

She was merely a little curious as to why Li Mo's changes had been so great.

What physique it was did not matter.

If she did not know of it, that meant it was not strong enough; at the very least, it had never made it onto the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Ranking compiled by Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

And if it belonged to one of those defeated opponents in her memories, then so what?

In any case, it could not compare to the Ten Absolutes Physique.

She practiced for two hours straight.

Once again, an icy chill began to seep from her body.

She had just sat down on the bed.

Knock, knock—

The door was pushed open a crack. Li Mo held a copper basin and poked his head in.

"Ying Bing, exotic beast meat needs to be refrigerated, so I'm putting it in your room!"

The Ice Block-brand refrigerator—everyone who had used it said it was great.

"?"

Ying Bing watched as he placed a covered basin of exotic beast meat in the corner, then went out again.

When he left, he even turned off the lamp for her along the way.

If this had been before, she definitely would have thrown the copper basin out and warned Li Mo with a cold gaze, making him never dare casually enter her room again, much less casually put things in it.

But today...

The delicious freshness of the hot pot seemed still to linger endlessly on the tip of her tongue, refusing to fade...

If the meat went bad, she would not be able to eat it, right?

Swish—

She drew the bed curtains shut.

The bone-piercing chill in the room spread. It grew quieter and quieter, and she gradually fell asleep.

The sleeping face of the young girl furrowed slightly.

Yet it was not because of the torment of the extreme cold.

She dreamed.

She dreamed of scenes from when she, exalted as Phoenix Heaven, held command over Cassia Palace.

"Palace Master, I know that the disciples of Cassia Palace cannot be tainted by romantic love, so... please act, Palace Master, and cripple all my martial arts."

"Master, as I wandered the rivers and lakes, I came to know a good man..."

"Palace Master..."

"Hahahahaha, Ying Bing, so it turns out you don't even know what love is. You're truly pathetic!"

All sorts of jumbled images flashed past, and her brows knitted deeper and deeper.

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